


Scarecrow

by darkChronicler



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-09 00:49:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13470186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkChronicler/pseuds/darkChronicler
Summary: Jack and Gabriel talk about ghosts on the balcony of Gabriel's parents' apartment.





	Scarecrow

“When I was a kid there was this scarecrow outside my window. It was way out in the corn field, but whenever I had my curtains open it felt like it was staring at me.”  
Jack leaned back in the worn plastic chair, looking up at the night sky over Los Angeles. Gabriel leaned over the railing of his parents’ sky rise apartment with a cigarette in one hand. He didn’t respond or even look at Jack, but he was listening. They both kept their eyes to the starless sky as Jack quietly spoke.  
“I hated that scarecrow. I don’t know if I imagined it or if it was a nightmare, but somehow I got convinced that I saw it walking around. I went to my ma, crying my eyes out. She just said, ‘Don’t be silly, Jackie. Scarecrows don’t walk,’ and went back to watching re-runs of some reality show.”  
He saw a tightness in Gabriel’s jaw, the twist of a frown visible even from behind. Hot ashes fell from cold fingers and down to the street. Gabriel’s hands were almost always cold. Jack reached out to touch them, and Gabriel dropped the cigarette to let him twine their fingers together.  
“I spent years afraid of looking out of my bedroom window, and Ma always laughed about it. Sure it was irrational, but I was a kid. I was terrified and she didn’t do anything but tell me I was freaking out over nothing.”  
Gabriel sat down on the little metal stool that served as the only other seat on the balcony. He squeezed Jack’s hand, a silent bit of comfort that brought a thin smile to Jack’s lips.  
“The day I left- day after graduation, God knows I couldn’t get out of there fast enough- I went out to the corn field and burned that damn scarecrow to the ground. I’m sure there are psychologists that would have a field day with all that, but whatever. It made me feel a little better.”  
Gabriel finally spoke, low and soft in a way that Jack knew few others heard,  
“When Lorena was little, I told her ghost stories to try to scare her. I don’t know why I thought it’d be funny. I felt pretty shitty about it when one night she ran into the kitchen a sobbing mess and said there was a ghost in her closet. Our dad put down his book and asked to borrow my baseball bat. Then he went in Lorena’s room and made sure she saw him looking around for the monster, brandishing that thing like a sword or something. When he was done he told Lorena that the monster got scared and ran away. After that, whenever she had nightmares, one of us would get the baseball bat and go monster hunting. She’d always fall right back to sleep when we were done.”  
Jack sighed, leaning his head on his partner’s shoulder.  
“Yet another reason why the Reyes family is exponentially more emotionally stable than the Morrisons,” he muttered. Gabriel laughed.  
“I wouldn’t say that, Jackie. Besides, you’re part of the family now. We’ll keep the bat ready for any scarecrows that come our way.”

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally a ficlet i posted at maybe 3 am on my tumblr, but i never go on there anymore so i figured i'd go ahead and post it here. hopefully i'll be posting more fics here soon.


End file.
